4.

MEASUREMENT OF
ANGLE
 4.1 Introduction
• In surveying, the direction of a line is described
by the horizontal angle that it makes with a
reference line or direction.
4.2 Instrument for angle measurement
(Theodolite)
• A Theodolite is an important instrument used
for measuring horizontal and vertical angles in
surveying.
• Theodolite is an extremely useful instrument to
a surveyor and is the key surveying instrument
in most of engineering projects.
 4.2.1 Terms used in angular
measurements
 The following terms should be clearly understood.
1. Centring: It is the process of setting up the instrument
exactly over the station mark.
2. Vertical axis: The vertical axis of the theodolite is the axis
about which the instrument rotates in the horizontal plane.
3. Horizontal axis: It is the line passing through the centres of
the journals, which fit into the bearings at the top of the
standards.
4. Face left: If the vertical circle is on the left side of the
observer, the theodolite is in the face left.
5. Face right: If the vertical circle is on the right side of the
observer, the theodolite is in the face right.
6, Plunging the telescope: It is the process of rotating
the telescope over the horizontal axis through 180
in the vertical plane. Plunging is also known as
transiting or reversing.
7, Swinging the telescope: It is the process of turning
the telescope about the vertical axis in a horizontal
plane.
8, Changing face: It is the operation of bringing the
telescope from the face left to face right and vice
versa.
9, Line of collimation (line of sight): This line is defined
by the cross hairs and the optical centre of the
objective.
 4.2.2 Parts of the theodolite
1. Hand grip
2. Peep sight
3. Vertical tangent screw
4. Eyepiece
5. Vertical motion screw
6. Horizontal tangent
screw
7. Tribrach
8. Foot screw
9. Micrometer knob
10. Focusing ring
11. Microscope eyepiece for
reading the scale
12. Selector knob
13. Plate bubble tube
14. Horizontal motion
screw
 4.5 Axis's of the theodolite
The collimation axis ZZ
should be normal to the
horizontal axis KK!
The horizontal axis KK
should be normal to the
vertical axis VV!
The plate bubble axis LL
should be horizontal!
The vertical axis VV should
be vertical (in the plumb
line!)
 4.6 Preparing a theodolite for work
• Preparing a theodolite for work is required
to be made at each setting of the
instrument before taking observations.
• To make ready the theodolite for work the
following five steps are required:
1. Setting up the theodolite
2. Centring the theodolite
3. Levelling up the theodolite
4. Focusing the eyepiece of the theodolite
5. Focusing the objective of the theodolite
 a/ b) Setting up and centring a theodolite by means of an optical
plummet

• Extend the tripod legs to suitable lengths (the

observer should sight trough the telescope
comfortably!).
• Set up the tripod approximately over the ground point.
• Step back about one meter and check whether the
vertical axis of the tripod coincides with the ground
point. If it does not, move the tripod accordingly.
• Stand at an approximately right angle to the previous
position and check again whether the vertical axis of
the tripod coincides with the ground point (see figure
1).
CONT…
 CONT…
• Press the tripod feet firmly into the ground. The
tripod head should be approximately horizontal.
• Take the theodolite carefully out of the carrying
case, place it on the tripod head and immediately
tight it firmly by using the fastening screw.
• Check whether the 3 foot screws are on their
midsections.
• The optical plummet has now to be focused
properly, that means both the cross hairs and the
ground point have to appear sharp while sighting
through the eyepiece. Do the following:
 – Shift the eyepiece of the optical CONT…
plummet in or out until the
ground point becomes sharp.
– Turn the eyepiece until the
crosshairs appear sharp.
• The optical plummet (see
figure 2) is now focused, that
means ground point and cross
hairs are projected in the
same plane (this is also called
elimination of parallax).
Figure 2
 Cont…
• By moving the foot screws and simultaneously sighting
through the optical plummet bring the cross hairs exactly
over the ground point.
• By extending or reducing the lengths of the tripod legs
bring the bubble in the central position (while doing so,
step slightly onto the respective tripod foot).
• Check whether the cross hairs of the optical plummet
are still exactly over the ground point. If not, loosen the
fastening screw, grab the tribrach (not the foot screws!)
and slide it carefully to the point, marking the ground
station.
• Never rotate the tribrach!!
– The theodolite is now exactly centred over the
ground point and roughly levelled.
 C/ Exact levelling of the theodolite by means of the 3
foot screws (see figure 3).
• Turn the instrument until the axis of the spirit
level is parallel with the line of any 2 foot screws.
• The screws are held by the thumb and forefinger
of each hand and turned equally and
simultaneously in the opposite direction until the
bubble has moved to the central position. The
bubble is now centralized.
Left thumb rule:
• The bubble is always moving along the bubble tube
towards the direction of movement of the left thumb.
The theodolite is now exactly centred and
levelled and the survey can be started.
D. Focusing the eyepiece of the telescope:
– The eyepiece is focussed to make the crosshairs
distinct and clear.
– It may be noted that the focussing of the eyepiece
depends upon the eyesight (vision) of the observer.
E. Focusing the objective of the telescope:
– The objective is focused to bring the image of the
object in the plane of cross hairs.
– It may be noted that the focusing of the objective
depends upon the distance of the object. When the
distance of the object is change, focusing has to be
done again.
 4.7 Principle of angle measurement

• In surveying angles are measured either in a

horizontal plane yielding horizontal angles or in
vertical plane yielding vertical angles.
 4.8 Horizontal angle
• In figure 4 points A, B, C are three points located
on the earth's surface. Points A', B', C' are the
projections of points A, B, and C onto a
horizontal plane. Angles A'B'C', B'C'A', and C'A'B'
are the horizontal angles.

Figure 4
 4.9 Vertical and zenith angles
1. A vertical angle is measured in a vertical plane
using a horizontal plane as reference plane.
# When the point being sighted is above the
horizontal plane the vertical angles is called an angle
of elevation and is considered as a positive angle.
# When the point being sighted is below the
horizontal plane, the angle is called an angle of
depression and considered as a negative angle.
# The value of vertical angle can range from –90 to +
90 (- 100 grad to + 100 grad).
2. A zenith angle is also measured in a vertical
plane but uses the overhead extension of plumb
line as a reference line.
• Its value ranges from 0 to 180 (0 grad to 200
grad).
• In figure 5 the zenith angles measured at station
A to targets at station B and C are 70 and 120.
The corresponding vertical angles are 20 and -
30.
• Most of the theodolites give zenith angles.
 4.9. Measuring vertical angular
Topics: 4.9.1 Vertical angle classification
» Zenithal angle
» Vertical angle
» Nadiral angle
4.9.2 Field procedure for measuring vertical angles.
4.9.3 Measuring distance by mean of stadia method

Objectives
You will be able to:
• Explain the procedure to measure vertical and Zenithal
angles.
 Measuring vertical angles
• As we have been studying in surveying works
angles are measured in two plane:
– Horizontal plane
– Vertical plane
• At this lecture we will focus our study in vertical
angles, these angles are commonly measured
for stadia and trigonometric levelling surveying
also for electronic distance measuring (EDM)
surveys where the slope distances must be
reduce to horizontal distances.
 4.9.1 Vertical Angle classification
• The vertical angle is classified according to the position of
00 in the vertical circle of the theodolite so that, basically,
there are three position of the 00 in the vertical circle:
1 – 00 on the Zenith (Zenithal angle)
2 – 00 on the Horizontal Plane (Vertical angle)
3 – 00 on the Nadir (Nadiral angle)
4.9.2 Field procedure for measuring vertical angles.
• Before starting explaining the procedure for
measuring vertical angle, we must to be
familiarized with the theodolite reticule, it is
made of three cross hairs:
Direct Telescope
Upper hair cross : U

Mid hair cross

M
Reverse Telescope

Lower hair cross: L

 Cont…
• Measure the Vertical or Zenithal angle is very simple
since the only one operation that has to be
accomplished is to set the mid cross hair at the point or
target by moving the telescope with its fine motion
crew.

• When vertical or Zenithal angles are measured for

determine elevation and vertical distance (∆z). the
instrument height is required as well as the reading on
the staff where the vertical or Zenithal angle was taken.
• If we want to determine ∆z or vertical distance between A and B, then let’s apply the formula:
∆z = ½ SD x sin 2 va + IH - M
• If we take the reading on the staff at mid cross hair MH at the instrument height (IH = MH)
then the formula is reduced to:
∆z = ½ SD x sin 2 va
• If we want to determine the Horizontal distance HD we can apply the formula
HD = SD x cos2 (va)
• If we know the horizontal distance HD we can determine ∆z applying next formula:
∆z = HD x tan (va) + IH – M
• If we take the reading on the staff at mid cross hair MH at the instrument height (IH = MH)
then the formula is reduced to:
4.9.3 Measuring distance by means of stadia method
• The slope distance can be obtained through the telescope’s reticule
applying the stadia method so that:
– SD = U – L x 100 Where :SD = Slope Distance
– SD = U – M x 200 U = Upper Cross Hair
– SD = M – L x 200 M = Mid Cross Hair
L = Lower Cross Hair
100 = Stadimetric constant
• Since the U and L are equidistant from M, is to say, the distance
from U and M is the same to the distance M to L, when we
multiply:
• U – M x 100 or M – L x 100 we will obtain half of the distance
between the theodolite and the staff, therefore we need to
multiply this result by 2 for obtaining the total distance between
the theodolite and the staff, is to say:
• U – M x 100 x 2 = U – M x 200
Let’s see an example:
 We’ve got the follow reading on the staff:
 U = 1.914
 M = 1.708
 L = 1.502
 SD = U – L x 100 = 1.914 – 1,502 x 100 = 41.2
 SD = U – M x 200 = 1.914 – 1.708 x 200 = 41.2
 SD = M – L x 200 = 1.708 – 1.502 x 200 = 41.2

 Most of the time in the real practice the resulted

distance that we obtain by mean of applying the
three formula are not exactly the same, but very
close one to another, thereby we find the average of
THANK YOU
 Control Questions
• Between two point on the ground A and B its slope distance was
measured by stadia setting up the theodolite on A and setting up
the staff on B, the reading of the three hair cross were:
• U = 2.456
• M = 1.887
• L = 1.327
• the vertical angle was va = + 120 20’ 00’’
• the IH = 1.57.

Determine:
• Slope Distance
• Horizontal Distance
• Vertical Distance
• Elevation of B if elevation of A is 100.00meter